WANDERLUST: BUDAPEST

19:10:00

I honestly have had misconceptions about Eastern Europe for far too long. Not truly sure where my idea of grey Soviet buildings and unappealing inner cities comes from exactly, but after Prague (which yes I know is considered central Europe), Budapest proved my wrong once again. I could not believe the amazing cafés and restaurants, the wonderful food and very cool night life. In my four days in the Hungarian capital I have not walked past one café I did not want to enter and I am now very determined to explore more of Eastern Europe.

Getting there

WizzAir is a super, super cheap airline that flies directly from Germany to Budapest. Just a comparison: a Eurowings flight from Hamburg would have been 130 Euros roundtrip, vs. the 40 Euros from Hannover with WizzAir. However as with most cheap airlines there is a catch: if you just book the normal flight your carry on is literally one handbag or one little backpack. So if you can´t live with just one outfit for four days or are a master of folding your stuff into teeny tiny squares, book the extra carry on. This cost me an extra 15 Euros each way, but still my flight in total was 70 Euros, so a total 60 Euros cheaper than Eurowings, which I would always rather spend on food and drinks during my holiday. I also do not think the service or space was in any way worse than it would have been with another airline and I would definitely fly WizzAir again.

From the airport in Budapest you could take a taxi or a mini bus, but the public bus (200E or 100E) to the city runs super regularly and is only 450 HUF so 1,50 Euros. Take the bus 100E to a stop in the actual city centry such as Deak Ferenc tér. Or exit the Bus 200E to Kobány-Kispest, a big mall and also the last stop of Metro line 3. The bus will stop two times here, and you have to get off at the second stop and take the escalators upstairs to the Metro station. It is a little tricky to find, but you can follow the signs.

Where to stay

We stayed in a beautiful Airbnb close to the Metro station Arany János. It was the perfect location with loads of amazing restaurants and bars as well as the major sights. in walking distance. For my last night I actually stayed in a hostel very close by the Home Made Hostel. It was in a charming little courtyard, quite cozy and only cost 14 Euros a night. However you might want to choose a hostel, that has airconditioning as Hungarian summers do tend to get quite freaking hot. It is also a little tricky to find as there is no large sign and it has no extra entrance. but you will find a door code to enter at the door.

What to do

Budapest is an absolutely gorgeous city. For a nice view across the city, there a number of beautiful viewpoints along the Donau. There is the very ambitious Liberty statue, but to be fair we could not be bothered to climb up all the way in the 33 degree heat and opted for the more subtle Szent Gellert monument. Pretty sure the view was not that much more impressive from higher up.

If you then continue along the river towards the parliament you will cross by Buda castle on the way. Again you may walk up, but why would you if there is a perfectly fine cable car up the hill for just 3 Euros. The castle is gorgeous and the view is also amazing.

Also make sure to stop at the parliament, which is said to have inspired the parliament in London and is just overall a beautiful sight.

For those of you interested in history, the museum of terror is incredibly interesting, but as the name suggests quite shocking. It documents the horror of the Nazi and Soviet regime with detailed video interviews and exhibits. They offer papers with historical background information at the entrance of every new room, but you might want to invest in the audio guide as it is a load of information.Also do not forget to bring your international student card or passport, the entry is half off for students and EU nationals up to 26.

And obviously do not miss out on Budapest´s famous thermal baths! We visited the Széchenyi baths in the city park, which were absolutely gorgeous. Most of the pools are thermal and thus warm, which is wonderful to relax, but a little difficult when it is over 30 degrees. We ended up heading there in the morning before it got to warm and it was really, really nice. The daily ticket costs about 17 Euros so you may want to stay a little longer than the two hours we did.

Where to eat & drink

Now let me be honest: I could have eaten the entire four days, that I was in Budapest. There were so many incredible restaurants and the food was SO good!

For brunch try Cirkusz for life changing hollandaise and wonderful fry ups or head to Szimply for absolutely incredible french toast and avocado toast and the most instagramable foods I ever did see. Szimply is not necessarily a secret so you may get here early enough or prepare to wait for a little bit.

For burgers I can´t recommend Meatology enough! The burger sauce here is to die for and the chips are amazing.

If you feel a bit more like traditional Hungarian food and great service try Korhely Faloda. This is a little more on the pricier side, but the Goulash and Chicken Paprikesh are absolutely delicious! You also definitely will have to have Trdlnik the amazing chimney cake, which I already fell in love with in Prague.

Now onto drinks! Budapest has so many wonderful bars with outside gardens, that are just perfect for summer, but the absolute highlight of Budapest are the ruin bars. We lovedSzimpla Kert, which was basically like a hundred bars in one. It has shisha bars, a cocktail bar, outside bars... it is simply huge and so, so cool.

Pontoon is another amazing bar right next to the Chain bridge. It not only has a beautiful deck, you can also enjoy a cool drink right by the river.

Ooh! I came for the food (I think you mentioned it on Instagram), and boy does it look good! Good thing is that I'm munching on my husband grandma's cheese pie right now, so I can handle it :DMaybe people have that greyish perception of Eastern European cities because they always visit in winter. I'm like that as well, summer is for the sea and the mountains, winter for the cities (I always end up visiting Germany for example in winter). And every city is prettier in sunshine!Glad you had a lovely time, I haven't been to Budapest since I was 15, maybe it's time to change that.Cheers,Anja